Daughter donates 80K ‘child support’ pennies dumped outside home by estranged dad

A girl and her mother have donated the $800 in pennies that her estranged father dumped on their Virginia yard for his last child support payment.

“My mom came out and was like, ‘What are you dumping in my yard?'” 18-year-old Avery Sanford told WTVR. “She didn’t know who it was until he shouted, ‘It’s your final child support payment.'”

Home-security footage shows the unidentified man pulling up an SUV with a trailer attached and emptying the contents of it onto the front lawn on May 21. The interaction between Sanford’s mother and estranged father can also be heard.

Following the incident, the family and their friends picked up the 80,000 pennies and donated them to a local charity.

Safe Harbor Shelter, a support center for survivors of sexual and domestic violence and human trafficking, confirmed Sanford’s donation.

“They were able to turn such a negative experience, and what her daughter witnessed, into a positive,” executive director Cathy Easter told The Washington Post. “They found a way to turn this around and not feel devastated about it.”

A mother and daughter donated 80,000 pennies that were left on their front lawn by the father as the final child support payment https://t.co/FsDplG4IoD pic.twitter.com/awYCsJykuc

— CNN International (@cnni) June 10, 2021

Sanford told WVTR that her estranged father’s actions were “really hurtful and damaging,” but that she’s glad they were able to do some good.

“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need, I feel like that really turns this situation into a positive,” she said.

Sanford’s story reportedly inspired others to help out as well, with the shelter saying they’ve received more than $5,000 in donations this week.